General: Storøya meanse ‘Big Island’, which must have been a joke, as the island appears to be small and lost behind the large Nordaustland. Because of the difficult ice conditions and not well charted waters, the island is difficult to reach. It belongs to the Northeast Svalbard Nature Reserve.
Geology: Mostly covered by an ice cap. The ice-free northern part consists of basement dolerite, as Kræmerpynten on the east side of Kvitøya; these rocks – being part of the basement – are quite rare in Svalbard.
Recommended book for further, well-digestable (really!) info about geology and landscape of Svalbard.
Landscape: Rocky lowland with some lakes, beaches with some driftwood. The larger part of the island is covered by an ice cap with a classical shape, similar to its larger neighbours on both sides, Nordaustland and Kvitøya.
Storøya. A lake in the barren tundra and the ice cap in the background.
Flora and Fauna: High arctic, Storøya is very barren and does hardly any vegetation. Arctic terns breed here, and in 2005 Storøya has been confirmed as breeding site of the Sabine’s Gull which is extremely rare in Svalbard. Walrus and polar bears are generally common in the area.
History: Swedish scientists did research on the ice cap in the 1960s, there are still the remains of a hut close to the ice cap on the west side of Storøya. In July 2006, a guide of a group of tourists coming from the expedition cruise ship MS Polar Star shot a polar bear in self defence. It was the first time in recent history (since polar bears became protected in Svalbard in 1973) that a polar bear was shot during a meeting with ship-based tourists.
This and other publishing products of the Spitsbergen publishing house in the Spitsbergen-Shop.
Norwegens arktischer Norden (1): Spitzbergen
Photobook: Norway's arctic islands. The text in this book is German. [shop url="https://shop.spitzbergen.de/en/polar-books/70-norwegens-arktischer-norden-1-aerial-arctic-9783937903262.html"] ← Back
Lofoten, Jan Mayen and Spitsbergen from the air - Photobook: Norway's arctic islands. The text in this book is German, but there is very little text, so I am sure that you will enjoy it regardless which languages you read (or not).
The companion book for the Svalbardhytter poster. The poster visualises the diversity of Spitsbergen‘s huts and their stories in a range of Arctic landscapes. The book tells the stories of the huts in three languages.
Comprehensive guidebook about Spitsbergen. Background (wildlife, plants, geology, history etc.), practical information including travelling seasons, how to travel, description of settlements, routes and regions.
Join an exciting journey with dog, skis and tent through the wintery wastes of East Greenland! We were five guys and a dog when we started in Ittoqqortoormiit, the northernmost one of two settlements on Greenland’s east coast.
12 postcards which come in a beautifully designed tray. Beautiful images from South Georgia across Antarctica from the Antarctic Peninsula to the Ross Sea and up to Macquarie Island and Campbell Island.